Charred Roses
by beautiful fury
Summary: What happens when Peeta dies and Katniss is sure that somebody was on that ladder that lifted her out the arena with her? Somebody was with her, but it wasn't Peeta...Katniss doesn't want to trust that someone... but she doesn't have a choice.They had crossed paths before and well...things hadn't gone too great.A Cato/Katniss fic.
1. Chapter 1: Acceptance

**Charred Roses**

_**this is a cato/ katniss story. Rated T, but if you think I should change the rating please let me know. Love y'all! Enjoy!**_

_**I don't own the Hunger games. all character credits go to Ms Suzanne Collins. **_

_**Chapter 1: Acceptance**_

_I'm warm. That was the first thing I registered when I came back to consciousness. I was cocooned in blankets and on my body was a thick, warm nightgown. I shakily raised my hand in front of my face and spot a tube protruding from my wrist has been pumping some sort of clear pale blue liquid into my body. I'm scared. I tried to sit up, but there's some sort of restraint around my hips. I wriggle desperately, trying to get of the bed when some sort of hidden door in the wall slides open and the avox girl walks in with a tray which held a bowl of clear broth, a cup of orange juice and a bowl of apple sauce. Her face reminds me of everything that the drugs have caused to slip my mind so far… the games, Prim, Gale, the fact I'm going home, Peeta… "Peeta! Where's Peeta?" I croak. She just gives me the tray and a sad smile and shakes her head. What? What does she mean? "Haymitch! Haymitch!" I begin screaming for my mentor so he can tell me whats going on…at that moment the blue liquid suddenly shoots back up the tube, into my veins, into my bloodstream and suddenly I can see orange trees and purple rivers and overly bright, too bright to be natural stars and giant mockingjays, but when they sing its Rue and Prim and My mother and My father and they're telling me to fly away with them… _

_I slip in and out of my sleep. I am only awake for about 5 minutes maximum and when I begin to think they've finished, I can leave now, that liquid enters me and I am about as awake as a corpse. This happens at least 5 times until I note that that the restraint has disappeared and I can get out of the bed which has been a prison. I swing round and carefully place one foot on the ground, then the other and shakily stand up. I thump on the wall from which the Avox girl had walked out of, and it opens. I see Haymitch, and Effie, and Cinna, and for a moment I'm almost happy.I'm alive. I'm going home. I run at them and launch into Haymitch's arms and he whispers "Nice job sweetheart" Effie's hysterical, babbling on about pearls and pressure and coal, and Cinna just hugs me. I notice Portia's absence and say, guilty "Where's Portia? Is she with Peeta?" And Cinna's arms go limp and Effie stops babbling and Haymitch steps forward and says "Peeta's dead, Katniss." "No. Your lying" I stammer and he shakes his head. I flee to my room and try to sort out the jumbled mess in my head. Peeta's dead apparently. But I was so sure that someone was on that ladder that took me out of the arena , holding my shoulders and telling me it was okay. _Maybe_, I think_, If go through the entire games in my head, from the minute I got to the Capitol the second I was lifted out of the arena, I can remember.

_So I lay down and closed my eyes, and lose myself in memories_


	2. Chapter 2: Reflections

**Hey! This is the second chapter of charred roses, enjoy! Just to let you know, this is Katniss remembering the games.**

**Fantastic.**

**Please review. Reviews give me willpower to carry on, and make me feel like I'm not wasting my time.I will attempt to acknowledge each review I get, but I can't make promises.**

**Any way, enjoy! **

Charred Roses

Chapter 2: Reflection

Flash back part 1

I walk into the my room on the train and slam the door.I lean my forehead against the door, looking at my reflection in the glossy wood.I run my hand down its surface, smooth and unbroken, so unlike the rough and splintering trees back in the woods bordering district twelve.I shut my eyes and imagine the soft carpeting beneath my feet is grass, the light gleaming from the lamp is sunlight and the sweet smell in the air is of flowers. Yes, I can almost hear Gale stop as he picks up a nearby rabbit or squirrel ,almost feel the rough branches of trees scratching at my back… almost- BANG! My daydreams are rudely interrupted by Effie Trinket, the vulgar Capitol woman who is my escort knocking frantically on the door. "Katniss! Katniss dear, Its time for dinner." she wheedles in her stupid sing-song accent.I grit my teeth to keep from yelling my head off and say through a clenched jaw "I'm coming.". I wait until I can hear her trotting away in her ridiculous high heels and slip out the door. I take stiff steps to the dining room and sit down next to Peeta, reaching my hand for a plate. I bolt down noodles and some sort of round black chewy vegetable cooked in thick orange sauce and listen to Haymitch and Effie's failing attempts to be the time I get up to leave Effie looks prepared to stab Haymitch straight in the chest and a muscle in Haymitch's jaw is twitching."Oh Katniss dear? Make sure you get enough sleep, dearie, because you have to up bright and early tomorrow to meet your prep team so they can ready you for the opening ceremony!Its so exciting!" says Effie, smiling like a cat that has cornered a mouse.I detest how excited she is to see me die.I slap on a fake smile and say "Alright _dearie_.Goodnight!" in an accent as ridiculous as hers, mocking and cruel. I get a huge amount of satisfaction when I see the flicker of hurt flash through her eyes.I smirk at her and Peeta's expression of disbelief at what I just I stride out the room I can hear Haymitch say "She's got attitude, that one." I give a small smile at this comment and return to my room.I'm still smiling as I fall into a dreamless sleep.

I wake up and see a pristine white ceiling, not the cracked brown one I'm used to, feel soft bed sheets instead of rough canvas and for a moment I'm puzzled. Then it all comes rushing back in an endless river of information, how I was on my way to my death, how I had not a soul to confide in here.I have a quick shower and change into a soft pale violet dress and braid my hair.I make my way down the hall only to be intercepted by Effie who begins bustling me down a staircase which I have not noticed before and shoves me before a leering are almost false, look at me from fluorescent eyes, the iris' neon yellow and bright pink and whatever other overly-bright colours are a hidden in the depths of their masked natural look. "Venia" One says in that same awful Capitol accent while smiling scarily, she looks like she wants to eat me.I notice her entire face is stained a brilliant white with swirling gold pattens climbing on he she honestly like looking like that? "Flavius" says and gives me a small finger nails are long,gold and curved at the ends like claws.I surpass a shudder."Octavia" says the last one, and she looks the least human out of them all, her skin dyed a pale green and her lips and eyelids bright pink, clashing, making my eyes hurt.I thought Effie was bad, but these people are just…unreal. They lay me down on a table, stark naked, and begin their work.

4 hours later I am stripped completely of my body hair, aside from the hair on my head and parts of my way they had tutted when the saw how much body hair I had made me feel like I was a bear or have soaked my head in some sort of thick brown sludge and then washed it out, leaving my hair glossy and all squeal when they have finished with me and Octavia starts jumping up and down and start yelling someone's name and a man walks into the room.I tilt my head sideways once I see him. I thought that I'd have to deal with a grotesque old man or woman trying to make me look as ludicrous as the people I have seen so no. He actually looks normal, dressed in a black sweater and trousers and with dark hair that is a natural shade and no freakish alterations."Hello," he says softly "I'm Cinna, your me a couple of seconds." He seems to scan me and then tosses me a thin robe." that on and then we'll must be hungry" he says, in that same gentle a quick but delicious meal of lamb stew with dried plums and wild plums with a creamy raspberry cake, he gestures towards another highly polished door and I follow him through into a room I've never been in like a magic fabrics draped around the room give it a warm and inviting coloured wooden models, each with glassy grey eyes and dark hair, seem so odd that there's so many of the same figure (until I realise its meant to be _me) _are wearing different outfits .Sketches on cream pieces of paper are littered on the soft grey carpeting."So you're here to make me look pretty," I say suddenly, forgetting about how nice he had been.I detested how they were going to doll me up and then send me to my doom."We're here to help you make an impression." he says harshly."I'll be in a coal miner's outfit I suppose?" I remember that in the opening ceremony for almost all of the 12 tributes have been dressed in coal miner's outfits.I just hope I'm covered." Portia,Peeta's stylist, and I think that the coal miner's thing is very over will remember you in that."

_What's he going to do? Send me nude or something? _I think, which has happened were naked and covered in black powder to represent coal.

"So instead of focusing on coal _mining _ we're going to focus on the actual _coal._"

_Yep.I'll be naked and covered in black dust._

"And what do we do with coal?We burn it."

"You're not afraid of fire are you Katniss?"


	3. Chapter 3: Broken Glass

**Charred Roses**

**Chapter 3:Broken Glass**

**Hello, my fellow hunger games fans! A extra special shout out to Paige Mellark who gave me her opinion on my story and gave me an idea,Thanks it means a lot! So here is the third chapter of charred roses, enjoy!**

_**Flashback part 2**_

I gape at myself on the screen, after the opening ceremony .Cinna's fire idea actually worked. I look so… as in I've suddenly got massive biceps and a six pack, but I look . And the crowd loves single one is screaming my name, ignoring the other tributes. When Peeta takes my hand, the audience looks blew every other district straight out of the water._If _I think as I walk back to my room, almost drunk with happiness _If I mange to get a decent training score…I might stand a chance._I go to sleep still thinking about the scream of the crowds as they yelled my name.

I wake up and meander to breakfast then gorge myself whilst waiting for the making small talk with Peeta and Haymitch and completely ignoring Effie, I go back to my room to change into what I'll be wearing in the training centre.I get dressed and redo my hair.I wait outside for Peeta and then we make our way down to the training join the rest of the tributes in a huddle around a woman.I take a look around the training one wall, there are portraits of each tribute and rest of the walls have weapons and survival stations in front of each of heart sinks when I see the weapons .Half of them I have no idea how to use. I feel like I'm being watched.I turn around and all 6 career tributes are staring at me.I scowl at them and raise one eyebrow and all of them avert their gaze except for from boy from district two merely smirks at me.I scowl again and turn back to the woman.I've missed her whole talk because everybody has started to spread out to the different careers make a beeline for the weapons, swinging them about and striking deadly blows on dummies with ease._Of course you can handle the weapons _I think spitefully _You practically grew up using a sword as a toy_."Katniss!" Peeta says "what shall we do?" I sent a death glare at the careers "Suppose we…" I really wanted to use the archery station to wipe those stupid smirks off their faces but I had to keep calm. "Erm…should we tie some knots?" I suggest feebly."Right you are" he responds and we spend at least an hour at the knot-tying station, which I'm actually pretty good at then head over to the camouflage station and Peeta is the one that shines at this, swirling paint about.I can hear some sniggering behind me and again turn around to see the careers staring at us and snickering. "Oh look they can_ paint_" I hear the district one girl say "how _terrifying" _

"Bet that's all they can do, the little runts" Says the district one boy cruelly

My fists are clenching of their own accord.

"What do you expect? They're from district twelve!" laughs the district four girl

This comment was the final straw.I abandon Peeta and storm over to the archery station. I pick a rosewood bow, one that looks like the one that I have at home, aim and fire. The entire training centre stares at me.I didn't aim at a target or a dummy.I had aimed at the portrait of the district four girl, and an arrow was lodged in the picture's forehead.I hear gasps and whispering as shattered glass flys out the frame and covers the floor.I look around, but all the trainers just look too shocked to move._What are you doing? _ a vocie in my head is shrieking _Stop!_ but my hands disobey and I aim and fire again and again and soon every single career portrait had an arrow in in a eye here, a neck there… I grin at their expressions.I walk over to them "Oh look I can _shoot_," I say quietly to the district one girl "how _terrifying_…" I say, trailing off my voice at the end.I can hear a whistling noise and look at the knife that the district two girl has thrown at my portrait.I quickly string an arrow and shoot at it within inches of it reaching my portrait , knocking it off course into her district partner's portrait's neck."Now now," I say, shaking my head in mock disapproval "Wouldn't want to ruin the best one there now would we?" I turn on my heel and walk slowly back to Peeta. "Coach, I really need a drink. Could I go get one?" I say with cool politeness."Yes." The trainer says quickly almost as though… she was _scared _of me. I blow a kiss at the careers who are still staring at me and leave the room.

I drink from the water fountain and I start towards the door but somebody grabs me by the shoulders and pins me to the wall behind me.


	4. Chapter 4: The killing club

I look up into the sharp blue eyes of my captor."What do you want, district two?" I say, but my voice cracks in the middle of my sentence."Just to gotta problem with that, fire girl?" I grimace at the nickname."Firstly, the name's , I would appreciate it if you let me go." He releases me and I wiggle my shoulders to release the tension in them."So what do you want to chat" I make inverted commas in the air with my fingers "about?" "Well, here's the deal, Fire district has a reputation for producing pathetic not you. You are strong. as strong as me, obviously" he smirks,"But strong all the 'll wipe out the rest of the field" He says. Honestly? He has the nerve to call my district pathetic and then he asks me to join his little killing club? My temper gets the better of me.I swing my foot right were a boy never wants to be hit.I see shock then rage ripple through the deep oceans that are his eyes.I mould my face into his trademark smirk and shut the door on his face. After my training score was announced, I knew I was the arena would be hunting the girl with the deady temper and archery careers would make sure I didn't get a with myself, I run to the roof only to stop dead at what I see.


End file.
